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Global call center says it is closing Ann Arbor facility

The Utah subsidiary of a Paris-based global customer support and call center, Teleperformance Inc., has notified the state it was closing its Ann Arbor offices and letting go all 430 employees.

Vice President of Human Resources Marcie Ballard said the company was not able to renew its contract with its Ann Arbor client and was "providing (the state) as much advanced notice of the closure as possible under the circumstances." The layoffs were to take place Sunday.

The letter does not identify the client, but Google confirmed it has opted not to renew Teleperformance's contract. Google employs 300 people in Ann Arbor and Birmingham offices.

The contract termination is completely unrelated to Google Inc.’s employees and office space footprint in Ann Arbor or Birmingham, or the Google for Entrepreneurs unit moving into Grand Circus Detroit LLC in the Broderick Tower, said Rebecca Rutkoff, global communications and public relations manager at Google.

She would not comment on the reasons for contract termination, or who will replace Teleperformance, except to say the work will continue to be performed elsewhere in the United States. The company has a policy against discussing its vendors.

The address on Traverwood Drive, where the call center is located, is listed as the Ann Arbor offices of Newport Beach, Calif.-based MSC Software Corp. A phone call to MSC was not immediately returned.

Typically, federal law requires companies with more than 100 employees to file a notice with state and local governments 60 days in advance of any planned plant or building closures or layoffs that affect more than 50 employees.